The power will be out in parts of downtown and Uphill Nelson until 8 or 9 p.m. tonight after a gas leak in the 800 block of Victoria St.
Fire crews they were called to a report of a bad smell shortly after noon in the 800 block of Victoria St. They arrived to find an excavator in Herridge Lane struck a gas line, despite the fact the operator called BC One Call before starting work.
“Upon arrival of the first crew, a large vapour cloud was observed coming from the area that had been excavated,” assistant chief Mike Daloise said in a news release.
Firefighters evacuated the block and Fortis crews arrived to repair the damaged line. As a precaution, Nelson Hydro disconnected power to adjacent properties to eliminate any ignition sources.
As of 5 p.m. crews were still trying to stop the flow of gas.
The 700, 800, and 900 blocks of Baker and Victoria streets are without power, as are the same blocks of Herridge Lane, plus portions of Cedar and Hll streets.
While the gas leak was still occurring, firefighters responded to a kitchen fire in Rosemont.
They arrived to find the resident had fled the house and closed the doors behind her. When firefighters entered, they discovered the fire had largely put itself out.
The simultaneous calls required an all-member call-out to both career and auxiliary members, Daloise said.
No injuries were reported in either incident.
